5 Mistakes Nobody Admits on Their Long Distance Trips

I was told from several sources that Dairyland was a good one, but not available in this state.

The long way around set the tone for motorcycle touring and it’s become a bit of a macho endurance thing. The only purpose for a road trip is to see what’s out there. If you ain’t seen it then you wasted your time and money.
I did the NC500 on my 125cc Varadero with my Wife and son also on small bikes. Hundred mile days through stunning scenery allowed time to soak it in. Glorious.

I plan trips based upon miles per day, because I ride for the ride, not the destination. However, the scenery along the ride is important for seeing the country is a better option than the interstate system.

Regarding miles per day: I find myself bragging about the trips where we put on only 200 miles a day at least as much as the 500- 700- 800/day trips. SO much more relaxing and enjoyable.

We always go to salvation army so we can just throw out our stuff when it gets dirty.

I just carry a small book. I have more than one gps on the bike. That way they can find one.

What makes you an expert? I’ve been riding 56 years. Gimme a break

I bass my motorcycle road trips by 45 miles an hour. not to mention, I do not ride the highways. Only secondary and back roads. An average good day in a saddle is 300 to 350 miles. leaving me enough time to set up my tent and have a good meal before I go to bed.

I used to work for Sentry as a software dev. Theyre truly evil, exist purely to profit regardless of the state of their insured.... i simply cant recommend them. Theyre also trying to Apple-ify the company and turn it into one of those corporate nightmare villages where employees basically live at work

I'm now 61, started touring when I was 19. I live in Europe, so touring is quite a bit different (a LOT more in the way of interesting roads than pretty much anywhere stateside - almost everywhere I've ever been to has an equivalent of the tail of the dragon). My technique for distance riding is to do BIG mileage every 3 or 4 days. I tend to do between 6 and 800 miles on the first day, find a campsite and rest up there for a few days, take in the sights and the roads, and then move on.
Each rider has their own technique, so find what is comfortable for you.
In Europe, there really aren't many chains where you can get literally the same product everywhere, but that's good cos it encourages the traveller to try different foods. I'd be incredibly bored always eating the same stuff day in, day out.

I watched your first cross country trip right before doing my own first long distance trip and it was a life saver. I planned an extra 15-20% for all of the times google maps gave me and I was pretty close to on time. Until the severe thunderstorm and downpour 😅

Gr8 advice throughout! I've taken my share of road trips that were thousands of miles. But one habit I need to break is pushing to hard. If it's a 200 mile one day ride or 3000 mile multi week ride I always rush to much and really need to quit that. Stop and smell the roses so to speak! Awesome video! THX!

Hey! Could you also put the subtitles in Finnish so that even the old man can follow along more easily.

And why would you think that us very experienced riders, who have many years of motorcycling behind us, all over the world, should listen to your opinion?

If I do a long road trip its because I'm trying to get there. This means 12 hour days. Which means you ride through any pain and probably should go to the gym before hand so your body is strong enough .

Im working my way up to doing my first overnight. Its peak summer, so endurance is a necessity. I want to enjoy the experience and look forward to the next trip.

Took a look at dairyland, and matching my current coverage made the price explode! (Uninsured motorist premiums are really expensive where I am). Ill stick with All-State

When are you going to stop? Nauseating, pointing out people's mistakes.....purely nauseating.

Hi, I`ll go through your video point by point.
* Time - time is everything. Almost every year I`m riding from the UK to Bulgaria, roughly 1700 miles per direction. I do them in 2 days with one night in a hotel in Austria.
* Overpacking - I`m riding Kawa GTR1400, which has enough space for luggage/3 paniers/ plus my trusty drum bag on my rear seat(I ride alone)
* Underpacking - not relevant for me
* Point 4 is a bit of an excess for me, but it depends on the bike you have - my one is quite complicated to be stolen :) Plus my insurance is full comprehensive with breakdown cover :) /I`m in the UK/
* Pushing myself too hard - 850 miles per day is fine, when I`m in a rush. And yes, I don`t care how many miles I have on the previous day. I justt keep riding.

An excellent video! Thank you!

Recommend riding with a camel pack and padded boxers

I agree on the advice to expect the journey to take longer than the gps-calculation. The ride is just a tool to the overall experience. Iron butt mentality is just a macho way to have a shitty journey in minimal time. Glad if you have the stamina for it, but stop putting down riders that enjoy other aspects than speed and mileage.

When is a reputable company going to design a mono-wheel trailer which pins through the hollow rear axles on bikes, so we can take all the bulky crap off the bike and put it on the trailer? I know mono-wheel trailers track, lean, pivot and oscillate over the road naturally by what I've seen. Nothing but small independent companies have ever made them, and the wait times are usually high. Also I've heard people who pull them say they don't even notice it back there.
Anyway. Yes, 650 miles in a day on a sportsbike down the interstate is SUCKY.

I like the idea of 100-200 a day.

Hey there Doodle.I’ll start by thanking you for your hard work and great content. A thankless job but someone has to do it! So, Iwas wondering if you could give me some insight on tire choices for my 22 Triumph Tiger GTPro. I live in Sun Valley ID (Ketchum) where there’s way more gravel than pavement. I’m an old fart so I stick to the maintained forest service roads for the most part and I do still enjoy pavement when it comes up. I’ve been running the Dunlop Trailmax Missions for a couple of years now. They’re fine on pavement but no feel on the dirt. So my question is,what tire have you been running and what do you think of it? Heard about any others that sound promising? I was all set to go with the Dunlop Trailmax Raids but they apparently don’t make a 90/ 19. Narrowest is 110

In western civilisation you can buy everything everwhere. Don't worry about missing things. You can go 1 day without eating, use clothes longer as preferable, missing sunscreen, only need gas and oil.

RE: Mark 14:23 - Bike lift: put in gear (locks the real tire), turn the front tire away from you (front on far side - rear on lift side), LIFT the front of the bike - the front tire will roll toward you helping the bike to stand up by itself using gravity) as the front tire rolls the bike will reorient its direction slightly, moving towards you - be prepared to grab the handlebar brake to stop the roll once the bike is upright. This all takes only a fraction of the energy/muscle/strength of any other method I've ever tried.

I usually do 6-700 miles a day on BMW R1250RT. I didn't really think that was too bad, I also drove truck for 27 years too though so maybe I'm more used to the travel.

I usually plan by doubling travel time when distances go above 300km specially if the road is not mainly highways or good roads. So if my travel time is estimated as 1 day, I make it 2 days to account for the rest, pictures, exploration, etc. My tip is if you travel above 300km - 400km, make sure to alot much more time so you can still rest and enjoy the ride. Also try not to go above 500km - 700km daily, you will not enjoy it.

Recommend an AAA membership. Not very expensive and you get free maps and towing service. I've used it twice for motorcycles with excellent results. My Progressive policy also has towing. Never used it. One way of avoiding needing is to carry a tire plug kit. Always. Plus basic tools.

Last summer, my wife and I did a week long trip on a Super Duke GT averaging 625 a day. Lots of breaks and a hydration pack. Not doing that anymore. At 74, I have nothing to prove. Just back from 1900 miles in the northeast and mid-Atlantic and we averaged 275 a day. Never sore, but the good kind of tired at the end of the day. Packing now for a week in Spain.

You're awesome Mrs. Doodle 😎🔥 Be safe out there!!

Enjoyed the video! Thanks. Good info, which I had to learn the hard way! My longest ride was San Clemente CA to Greenwich CT & back on a 1980 GL1100 back in 1989… went through 29 states & took an entire 3-month summer to do it, and I did it from a position of ignorance about long distance, but it was epic!! Done Vegas to Glacier NP & back twice on my GL1800, and just got a 2022 Goldwing DCT and enjoyed 4k miles in the first month…. Finally feel better after a week’s rest! 🤣

Whenever I go on a longer trip, I factor in a day off each week.

You have good down to earth advice in your Vids that people appreciate , great to watch your 'evolution' since you started riding . Dave nz

One thing I have learned, car or bike. Regular stops/breaks pay for themselves timewise. They add surprising little to the time at the end of the day, but your fatigue level is significantly lower. Ditto for stress.

I love to lolligag on my bike trips. Lots of stops and enjoy the flavor of different areas. Meeting people and talking to them. Travel on a bike is the best.

I set every hour of ride time by 50 mph. (this will compensate for gas stops & food), and also add, 1.5 hours in for Rain, Road construction & delays. So, a 400-mile day on all Backroads, is the plan (I hate riding on the highways) I set up my trips (for me) based on where KOA campground is along my route. allowing off routes, up to 30 miles.

I took a trip from SW Washington to Salt Lake, Denver, Dallas, Houston, Ruidoso, several stops in California and finally back home thru Oregon. I had some long days but I pushed through them because I had long stays too. I'd do it again but I would go to California from SW Washington first.

“Sprouts has real food” is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard and just a sign that marketing rules all😂

My wife and I find that we tend to be able to ride more miles in a day as the trip goes on. It takes a while to build up stamina when you haven’t been riding daily for a few weeks or months after winter. I also add about 30% to the GPS/Google time estimate as that is about what normal breaks require. I think some seem to forget that the GPS/Google estimates are only for travel time. Few can ride 8 hours each day without stopping.

By the way.......how do you afford not to work and do all this travel?? Can you tube be that lucrative? Or are you a trust fund baby?? Just asking for a friend! Ha!

The easiest way is make a few trips and then calculate your average mph and use that.. and adding an hour for unexpected is plenty..I live my life estimating my arrival times accurately..and it's not illegal to drive the speed limit with no stops and arrive faster then expected

I only subtract 10 mph from my average mph in a semi truck and it is pretty darn accurate. If your loosing 30 percent your not calculating your breaks accuratly

On travel within PA or next states I’ve found that for those of us who might travel at or just above the speed limit, Apple Maps is more accurate. Google maps ASSUMES you’re traveling over the speed limit.
Not wanting to be late, I use Apple Maps.
In 1982, Long before the electronics, I traveled Buffalo, NY to Phoenix (northern route) - 6 days on the way , 4 on the way back (better weather).
2002 my 84 GL1200 was being repaired in northern Iowa. Left in the evening from Iowa. Arrived 7:10 pm next night with a 6 hour layover in Illinois for sleep. 954 miles in 26 hours.10 minutes late for my son’s middle school graduation. Could have done an Iron Butt.. didn’t know it existed.
Traveled at or just above speed limit. Felt like I was limited only by the fuel in the tank.. travel safe friends.

Hey Doodle, you might be interested to know that Dairyland's parent company, Sentry, underwrites Harley Davidson Insurance Services.

There are two wolves inside you… named Doodle and Shadetree 😇 😈

I remember when you posted your first vlog.....300-400 miles a day is a great goal, for taking pix, drinking coffee, and eating. 350,000 miles ridden, but why rush?? One great packing strategy is to lay everything out, let it sit on the floor for a bit, then put back a third of it, LOL

I did 2300 miles in 9 weeks...on a bicycle!